41 replies to this topic

[WouterF1]

 

Trackside class of 2024 VisaCashApp RB F1 Team.

 

 

Base: Faenza, Italy and Bicester, ---> soon Milton Keynes (R&D), UK.

Team principal: Laurent Mekies
Technical director: Jody Egginton



Chassis: RB??
Engine: Honda RBPT

Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda 22 .  Isack Hadjar 6 

Edited by WouterF1, 01 January 2025 - 15:41.

[jonpollak]

I’m still calling the team…. VeeshaCrashApp.
Jp

[flingsofdeon]

Hoping Yuki puts together an even stronger campaign - if he does, where does his future ultimately lay?

[FirstnameLastname]

Hoping Yuki puts together an even stronger campaign - if he does, where does his future ultimately lay?

Let go for erm… not being ‘good enough’. (Because he’s not the ethnicity required)

[WouterF1]

Isack Hadjar  will join Yuki Tsunoda for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship



20-year-old Isack has been driving for the prestigious Campos Racing team in F2 where he quickly established himself as one of the most promising young prospects. Isack’s trajectory has continued on the sharp upward curve of recent years, with big wins coming at classic Grand Prix venues including Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone.
Isack will be following the footsteps of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo as he becomes the 19th driver to be promoted to Formula One from the Red Bull Junior Program, which started back in 2001.

Isack Hadjar, said: “I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning. The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I’ve been working towards my whole life, it is the dream. I feel like I’m stepping into a whole new universe, driving a much faster car and racing with the best drivers in the world. It’ll be a huge learning curve, but I’m ready to work hard and do the best I can for the team. I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki, I’ve always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull Junior Program, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.”

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls said: “We’re excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025. His journey to Formula One has been nothing short of outstanding, he has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks. He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact. I believe Isack and Yuki will make a great team. Yuki brings invaluable experience to the team, he’s shown incredible resilience and maturity, which will be crucial for the team as we strive to hit all our aims and objectives in 2025.”

Peter Bayer, CEO of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls said: “Firstly, we must congratulate Liam for his step up to Oracle Red Bull Racing. As a sister team and as an incubator for Formula One talent, our strategic objective is to foster and nurture our drivers in preparation for this next step. With this move and by bringing Isack into VCARB, it’s a testament to our longstanding commitment to develop the best young drivers in motorsport, as well as proof of concept of the Red Bull Junior Program. Having a younger driver supports our mission to speak to a younger audience, so we look forward to bringing new and existing fans on the journey with us.”

[KWSN - DSM]

I do not have especially high expectations from Racing Bulls in 2025, any point more than 46 in the WCC will be a surprise to me.

[Victor]

This is such an uninspiring team. How I miss the good old Minardi team...

[baddog]

I do hope Yuki can continue to do well and that he does get some kind of shot at a better car for a season. He is a fighter and pretty quick, we have seen a LOT worse drivers than him get a shot.

[Anja]

This is such an uninspiring team. How I miss the good old Minardi team...

 

At least in the Toro Rosso days it had an identity and a clear goal in the Red Bull junior program. But ever since the Alpha Tauri rebrand it's mostly just a billboard on wheels. 

[Jellyfishcake]

At least in the Toro Rosso days it had an identity and a clear goal in the Red Bull junior program. But ever since the Alpha Tauri rebrand it's mostly just a billboard on wheels. 

 

Yeah and for me not only that, all this faffing around with changing the name is considered a different team, had they stuck with Toro Rosso not only did it sound cooler, but it would have a 20 year history by now pretty much, and with 2 wins, 5 podiums a clear legacy as a midfielder

Instead offically, we have 3 teams, TR, AT and RB what a load of nonsense

[WouterF1]

‘Game-changing’ Racing Bulls move underway as brand-new facility comes online

Racing Bulls’ transition across to working in its new Milton Keynes facility has begun, with its days operating out of Bicester coming to an end.

Having operated out of its Bicester facility for aerodynamic work for many years, the Racing Bulls squad has moved into brand-new offices at the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes.

“The Milton Keynes office is ready,” Peter Bayer said.

“We have had the IT guys there actually fitting it out, making it, because the plan is to have everything ready for the people, over the shutdown, to make the move and to be operational as of January 2, to not lose any time in terms of the development, model shop, the wind tunnel, and everything.

“So there won’t be any losses and it’s a game-changer because it’s a state-of-the-art facility.

“Bicester is still, more or less, the old Reynard facility. We put in a couple of new desks and a new carpet, but that’s about it. So there’s no parking, no canteen, and no supermarket around to get some food. The gym is tiny and old. It’s just not up to date anymore.

“It’s also too small for us, actually.

“We’ve not had enough space. The guys, like Jody [Egginton – VCARB technical director] and Alan [Permane – VCARB racing director], when they’re both in the office, they have an office the size of this table that they’re sharing back to back.

“I think it’s part of being an attractive employer – obviously to have nice working facilities and that’s what will change.”

With preparation work for the F1 2025 season already well underway, the capabilities of the new facilities aren’t likely to translate into performance gains in the immediate future, but Bayer suspects the team won’t have to wait until 2026’s regulations changes to start reaping the rewards of the move.

“A nice office doesn’t necessarily give you lap time, but it does, immediately, make us a more attractive employer, because, in Milton Keynes, we’ll have a nice canteen,” he said, “And, for the time being, we won’t have a gym, but we’ll have a contract with a local gym where the guys can go until ours is ready.

“The model shop, because, again, we’re building with all new machinery there, everything will be state-of-the-art and we’re investing into new CFD facilities.

“So it might, and should, actually give us a bit of a boost for 2025 already.”

Read here what Mekies has to say about it.

[kumo7]

i also hope that Yuki will produce great races.

[FullThrottleF1]

Another pointless year for a pointless team

[WouterF1]

Another pointless year for a pointless team

You have a cristal ball?

[Secretariat]

I guess we will see what happens for Whatchamacallit F1 team for good, bad or indifferent. However when any organization is run by puppets, the success or progress that occurs is likely to also be superficial in my opinion. There is always a chance they become sentient, but that is more likely to be the case for their AI tools than for the team's management.

[Clrnc]

Good interview and attitude with Yuki. All the best for 2025

[krea]

This is such an uninspiring team. How I miss the good old Minardi team...

Minardi was maybe old but never good

[RainyAfterlifeDaylight]

Hoping Yuki puts together an even stronger campaign - if he does, where does his future ultimately lay?

Ultimately, current team with another new name in 2026 . . .

[Autodromo]

While I would love for Yuki to again dominate a teammate and get moved up to the lead team, I can only see the first half of that happen.  Therefore I will hope that Hadjar kicks butt so Yuki won't have to spend the rest of his life thinking he was robbed of that position (which at this point I think he has been).

[WouterF1]

Yuki Tsunoda, the Visa Cash App RB driver, has expressed that he would have loved the chance to become Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull Racing in 2025. However, to his disappointment, his teammate Liam Lawson was promoted to the top team instead. Tsunoda acknowledged that the outcome was partly due to his own performance but also influenced by decisions made by the Milton Keynes-based team.

Yuki Tsunoda is frustrated at the prospect of remaining with Red Bull's sister team for a fifth consecutive Formula 1 season. The Japanese driver, who scored 30 points in the previous season, believes his early performances in F1 may have created doubts about his capabilities.

"I think that part of it is kind of my fault because I wasn't really able to perform straight away in the first year," Tsunoda told Motorsport.com.

"Even though I was performing well (In 2024), I feel like I didn't get really get credit as much as probably other drivers get, but it is what it is. I just naturally, just keep what I'm doing and performing well and just prove them wrong."

"I just try to give them (Red Bull) fewer excuses or reasons why I am not in the seat. So, I just focus on what I can control those things other than that, just accept the situation. I'm sure I can do a better job than what they are thinking."

"I would say the communications side has improved, mainly my language on the radio. The calmness, I would say, is also definitely improved, more technical feedback, more focused. I can definitely feel the improvement throughout the year and I'm very happy with it. What I have to improve more is still the technical feedback, especially the amount of feedback you can give in the race, I think I definitely can say more, and sometimes it's not really consistent.

"For us it was more difficult to consistently show our performance. Even though you have a good performance, sometimes the car's performance doesn't really follow that. But still, I'm pretty happy with the consistency so far. I always say I could have done a couple of races much better, but I showed I'm pretty consistent.

"I started really well, and I was in the points pretty consistently, because also the car was pretty good. At some point, and we weren't able to improve our car with upgrades and actually Haas and other competitors started to overtake our car performance."

Tsunoda says he has felt "massive support" from Racing Bulls' management Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer.

"To be honest, I don't really care much about what people are saying on social media, because they don't know what exactly happening," he said. "It only matters what the team thinks about me, and I feel definitely a massive support from the team. They understood every race what happened, and definitely I got a lot of trust from them. That's what always matters and I really appreciated those efforts from them."

[WouterF1]

Deleted. Wrong info.

Edited by WouterF1, 07 January 2025 - 16:18.

[Viryfan]

This new blue overall looks great. Mutch better than the white one from last year!

https://www.instagra.../p/DEhnUH2sf5J/

This is not a new one.

This is the one from Las Vegas.

Orlen is gone according to polish press.

[PayasYouRace]

Minardi was maybe old but never good

Minardi in the 3.5 litre era was actually a decent team, even good at times. Don’t do rise their form late on for the entire existence. Plus, they tended to do really well when you factor on their general lack of funding.

[IrvTheSwerve]

Unsure how MinRB will do this year, I don’t really care much for Tsunoda and think it’s probably time his F1 career comes to an end. Looking forward to some of Hadjar’s inevitable meltdowns over the radio.

[garoidb]

Minardi in the 3.5 litre era was actually a decent team, even good at times. Don’t do rise their form late on for the entire existence. Plus, they tended to do really well when you factor on their general lack of funding.

 

Didn't they have a front row start one time?

 

Edit: Pierluigi Martini in 1990 US GP at Phoenix. 

Edited by garoidb, 07 January 2025 - 16:10.

[FirstnameLastname]

Unsure how MinRB will do this year, I don’t really care much for Tsunoda and think it’s probably time his F1 career comes to an end. Looking forward to some of Hadjar’s inevitable meltdowns over the radio.

Honda take him to Aston next year surely?

[WouterF1]

This is not a new one.

This is the one from Las Vegas.

Orlen is gone according to polish press.

Thank you. Indeed, Orlen is gone now. I will delete it.

[WouterF1]

Racing Bulls 2025 Pre-Season test at Imola: Yuki Tsunoda & the 2023 AT04 Las Vegas/Abu Dhabi F1 Car!

 

Yesterday it was Yuki Tsunoda's turn at the wheel of a 2023 AlphaTauri AT04 which is still featuring the special livery used during the last few rounds of the 2023 season

(Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi GP), but without the sponsors (for obvious reasons). The circuit was wet in the morning but it improved in the afternoon, allowing Yuki to also fit dry tyres.

Enjoy the raspy sound of the Honda power unit!

 

 

Racing Bulls engaged in three-day TPC test with Tsunoda and Hadjar
21 January

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB), Red Bull Racing's junior team, will be spending three days, 21, 22, and 23 January, at the Imola circuit.
They will be preparing for the start of the 2025 season, which starts in only 54 days. While at the circuit, the Faenza-based will be completing a TPC (testing a previous car). This means that the drivers will drive an old car.

The FIA has decided to set a limit on how many kilometres a team can drive. The limit is 1,000 kilometres per driver.
Each driver will take a specific day. Tsnuoda will drive on Tuesday, Hadjar will go on Wednesday and Iwasa will conclude the testing on Thursday.

Edited by WouterF1, 22 January 2025 - 09:58.

[jonpollak]

Thanks for the Bozzy video WouterF1 !!!

Jp

[gillesfan76]

Newey’s latest comments seem to be thinly veiled criticism of Red Bull and its management. Spoke of the team’s inexperience and attributed the reason to management.

[KWSN - DSM]

Newey’s latest comments seem to be thinly veiled criticism of Red Bull and its management. Spoke of the team’s inexperience and attributed the reason to management.

 

I thought he was part of management while there.

[MinardiM02]

Minardi was maybe old but never good

They finished 5th and 6th in the 2005 US GP!

[MinardiM02]

This is such an uninspiring team. How I miss the good old Minardi team...

 

Toro Rosso was such a cool successor in a way to Minardi, with awesome liveries up until 2017 and the odd successful race. 

Liveries since 2017 have been horrible. The names even more so. 

The team is so bland and soulless now. 

Edited by MinardiM02, 31 January 2025 - 10:21.

[BRG]

The Red Bull B team (whatever it is called this week) is about as closely related to the real Minardi as Mercedes is to Tyrrell.

[PayasYouRace]

They finished 5th and 6th in the 2005 US GP!

They finished 5th and 6th in the 1989 British Grand Prix, which was a genuinely good result in a race 26 cars started.

[Victor]

Pierluigi Martini, a driver I associate 100% with my good memories of Minardi, had excellent races with the team and scored points many times

[KWSN - DSM]

Pierluigi Martini, a driver I associate 100% with my good memories of Minardi, had excellent races with the team and scored points many times

 

+1

 

What i's and all, he had 25 races for Minardi classified between 7 and 10, Martinini was a really good driver.

[danmills]

I'm quite looking forward to Hadjar, there could be some in-team spiciness. 

[Anuity]

Toro Rosso was such a cool successor in a way to Minardi, with awesome liveries up until 2017 and the odd successful race. 

Liveries since 2017 have been horrible. The names even more so. 

The team is so bland and soulless now. 

 
Nah, all their liveries until 2017 were horrid. looled like some red splash on something blue-black.

 

in 2017 they had a beautiful and very distinctive livery, probably the best, although AT was not that bad either.

 

 

i don’t particularly miss Minardi, if only for nostalgic reasons. Would rather have Jordan back or old school good Sauber.

[DJH63]

I'm quite looking forward to Hadjar, there could be some in-team spiciness. 

Tbh Tsunoda seems unsurprisingly checked out in the media he has had to do the past few weeks so I’d be surprised if it ends up being anything other than disappointedly boring.

[Viryfan]

I'm quite looking forward to Hadjar, there could be some in-team spiciness.

Hadjar told the french media he will still shout in the car but he will be mindful to not use the radio button for that purpose.

[Victor]

 
Nah, all their liveries until 2017 were horrid. looled like some red splash on something blue-black.

 

in 2017 they had a beautiful and very distinctive livery, probably the best, although AT was not that bad either.

 

 

i don’t particularly miss Minardi, if only for nostalgic reasons. Would rather have Jordan back or old school good Sauber.

The Toro Rosso livey always looked like a slab of meat to me, almost as if it were sponsored by a butcher shop